Yellow sand compressed around Deidara and his bird, wrapping them both up. At the same time, a violent explosion rang out. Gaara was protected by a spherical shell of sand around him and suffered no injury whatsoever.
Absolute Defense!
"How much longer is that Deidara guy planning to fool around...?" At the entrance to Sunagakure, Sasori, concealed within a puppet, looked up. The night sky was filled with magnificent yellow sand, one mass large and one small.
Throughout Sunagakure, countless ninjas had appeared in the streets and alleys, all looking up at this rare sight. The battle between Deidara and Gaara was far too loud; there was no way it could avoid drawing the village's attention.
Kankuro, who had become a Jonin and also served as the Kazekage's guard, stood atop the Kazekage Building, watching the sky with a faint smile. The full moon hung high overhead, and the darkness did not obscure visibility too badly. He had been among the first ninjas to notice that something was wrong.
Several Sunagakure Jonin appeared behind him one after another. Baki arrived shortly afterward as well. Looking at the sand in the sky, he asked, "Kankuro, is Lord Kazekage fighting?"
"Yeah!" Kankuro nodded. "I only noticed it a moment ago myself. The enemy was riding some strange giant bird and probably infiltrated our village from high in the sky. Judging by his clothes, he should be a member of that Akatsuki organization we heard about before."
"I see." Baki nodded to show that he understood, then turned back and said, "Gather the ninjas immediately. Prepare to support Lord Kazekage. This is Sunagakure—how can we let him fight alone?"
"Yes!" The ninja hurriedly accepted the order. Kankuro turned and smiled. "No need to worry, Baki-sensei. It looks like Gaara has already subdued him.